Chapter Sixty-One: The True Art of the Violet Pole

Qi Xiu sat cross-legged on the ground, his entire body enveloped in turbulent energy.

Suddenly, three inches below his navel, within his Purple Palace, a clear spring welled up seemingly from nothingness. Thin streams of energy gushed forth from this well, coursing through his meridians. Dense, pure currents of inner force permeated every corner of his body, weaving a seamless net that left no gap unguarded.

The inner energy traveled throughout his body, finally reaching his legs, where a strange, shadowy energy lay dormant. Sensing a threat, the shadowy energy began to stir within his muscles and tendons, a faint dark aura warily eyeing the surging purple Yang energy approaching along the meridians.

In the next instant, the two forces collided. In a flash, like snow meeting blazing sun, the purple Yang inner force swept forth, devouring the dark, shadowy energy in one fell swoop. But only for a moment—it was quickly spat out again, as if rejected. Escaping annihilation, the shadowy energy retreated back into the flesh and sinew, once more hidden from sight.

While the nature of the Shadowless Phantom Art allowed it to avoid assimilation by the purple Yang power, the same could not be said for the Sun-Gazing Vitality Technique and the Remote Acupoint Striking Method. Their similar natures made them vulnerable—the meager inner energy produced by these two arts was instantly swallowed by the purple Yang true skill. The notations for both disappeared from his proficiency panel, their energies passively merging into the purple Yang true skill.

Like a central general reviewing his troops, the purple Yang inner energy made a thorough sweep through Qi Xiu’s body before curling back into the spring within his Purple Palace, settling there with the gentleness of fledgling swallows returning to their nest.

The energy spring was now solid and unshakable. Qi Xiu slowly closed his eyes.

Within the ocean of his consciousness, the contents of the purple Yang true skill, the Red Sand Palm, the Sun-Gazing Vitality Technique, and the Remote Acupoint Striking Method whirled together in a towering, earth-shaking vortex, each clashing and melding with the others. In the friction of their intertwining, the arts were reorganized and fused into something new.

From the depths of his being, waves of mystical insight surged into his mind, sparks of enlightenment flashing again and again, making the fusion of the four arts ever more perfect.

A faint luster shimmered upon his skin. The purple-red inner energy grew ever more refined, the red within peeling away like an old shell. The purple hue became richer and more exuberant.

The merging of true skill and martial arts took even longer than his breakthrough to the Qi Condensation stage. From the brightening dawn until the sunset bled red over the horizon, the process endured, only ending when the last rays of the dying sun vanished below the skyline.

Qi Xiu’s tightly closed eyes snapped open. For a fleeting instant, a dignified, regal purple gleam flashed across his gaze, burning the very air with a scorched, blistering scent.

He exhaled slowly. A breath of energy left his lips, and the mountainside ten meters away blackened as if seared by fire.

Gradually withdrawing his power, the purple glow faded from his eyes, though a domineering sharpness still lingered in his gaze. He lowered his head, spreading his palms. At a tremor from the energy spring in his dantian, inner force—now a hundred times thicker and purer than before—rushed forth, forming two faint purple-red sparks.

He studied the lingering red traces within the energy on his palms.

Three martial arts had been merged into his true skill, elevating the purple Yang true skill, yet it was still not enough. To bring about a true, qualitative transformation, he would need to fuse it with another true skill—or integrate it into another true skill entirely.

Qi Xiu glanced at his proficiency panel. A new name now stood boldly at the forefront, second only to Calligraphy.

[Supreme Purple True Skill]

The former [Purple Yang True Skill] had been a practice focused on health and vitality: thick inner energy to nourish the organs, protect the viscera, heal internal injuries, enhance regeneration, and boost physical strength. But now, having fused with the fierce, scorching, and venomous Red Sand Palm, it was as if a fuse had been lit—a caged tiger suddenly awakened to its primal wildness.

Pure Yang became Extreme Yang!

The inner energy of the Supreme Purple was violently domineering, its ferocity far surpassing that of the Red Sand Palm, which now seemed as mild as a cupping treatment by comparison.

“With such intense fiery power, a single strike could incinerate the target on the spot.”

Qi Xiu dispersed his energy, stretching lazily. His gaze was calm.

At last, he had a true skill as his foundation. Next, he would step into the Three Realms, using the unique qualities of primal intent to condense his Dao seed, preparing for the final leap into the path of cultivation.

…

“Baoxian County has suffered successive disasters, and the people are in dire straits. Magistrate Song, moved by compassion for the suffering of his people, has spent his own savings to purchase grain for disaster relief. Starting today, every resident of Baoxian County may claim half a pound of yellow rice and one pickled vegetable per day!”

The resounding announcement echoed across the entire square.

For a brief moment, all was silent.

Then, tens of thousands of Baoxian County residents erupted in a tumultuous roar of joy. After enduring the scourge of monsters and the city’s lockdown by the Western Wind Army, two-thirds of the households in the city had run out of oil and rice. Many had already tightened their belts, reducing from three meals a day to two, and then to just one. Any further, and starvation would claim lives.

Half a pound of yellow rice wasn’t much, but when cooked as porridge, it could barely keep a family of three from starving. It was truly life-saving grain. And with a pickled vegetable—a precious source of salt—it was even more invaluable.

“At last, Baoxian County has a just and virtuous magistrate!”

“Magistrate Song, we will never forget your great kindness for as long as we live!”

“Child, kneel and kowtow to Magistrate Song!”

“Yes, kowtow to Magistrate Song!”

With a few leading the way, the crowd in the square fell to their knees in waves, bowing their heads to Song Tingye in gratitude.

“Please, everyone, rise. I, Song, am ashamed—I was unable to secure disaster relief grain from the court.”

Approaching an elderly man with white hair and beard, Song Tingye bent down and helped him up. “But rest assured, as long as I, Song Tingye, am magistrate of Baoxian County, not a single citizen shall be allowed to starve! Should I break this promise, let heaven and earth not tolerate me!”

At these words, the crowd surged with renewed fervor; many were moved to tears. The white-haired elder clutched Song Tingye’s hand tightly, his lips quivering as tears streamed down his face.

At the edge of the square, in an inconspicuous alleyway, Qi Xiu watched the spectacle with a peculiar expression, hands tucked into his sleeves.

“What is this new magistrate really up to?” he wondered.

Without the constant barrage of information that came with his past life, people in this world were more innocent, simpler at heart. Song Tingye’s act of giving away his fortune to save the masses won him endless praise, with the people hailing him as a living bodhisattva.

But to Qi Xiu, whose mind was shaped by modern thinking, Song Tingye’s actions seemed all too strange. A magistrate, newly arrived in his jurisdiction, doing nothing else but immediately giving away his wealth to buy and distribute grain—such benevolence was almost excessive.

It felt to him... as if someone was deliberately currying favor with the masses.

But why try to win over a multitude of impoverished, starving commoners?

He pondered in silence, his brow furrowing as he gazed at the sincere and affable figure at the center of the square.

“A cult?” he murmured.

…